The estate inventory of Alexander Watson of Charleston, SC, filed 12 Dec 1840, lists the names of 83 enslaved ancestors. We invite you to contribute to this page.
The estate inventory of Alexander Watson of Charleston, SC, filed 12 Dec 1840, lists the names of 83 enslaved ancestors.
This document was indexed and made searchable by Alane.


A clever comedy prediction effect which is 100% visual and that you will really enjoy performing!
You have a playing card selected from a regular deck and display a large A4 laminated whiteboard with a message in bold lettering on the front concerning the chosen card.
The board is turned over to show a giant picture of the chosen card on its other side, but calamity - it is the WRONG card.
Not to be thwarted your show the message once again and rub a paper handkerchief over the wording.
Instantly the wording on the card changes to correctly name the chosen card!
Alternatively, we supply a second board whose letters can be changed to the chosen playing card first and then the board turned over to show a large printed picture of the correct chosen card.
A stunning & entertaining trick that is easy to do and is suitable for stage, cabaret or close-up performances. You can use any deck of cards for the selection by a member of the audience.
Comes with the two large A4 laminated whiteboards, special pen and instructions.


text:
Bailer – Shaped By The Landscape
There is a new bruiser in town, a creative bully as at ease turning the senses and ears to mush as it is breeding a dervish like reactions in the body. That uncompromising assailant is Irish quartet Bailer and its choice of irresistible weapon, debut EP, Shaped By The Landscape. The band's striking introduction is a fiercely irritable groove fest of demands and rewards; a caustic fusion of groove metal and hardcore which leaves body and soul wasted and spirit and emotions ignited.
Formed in the January of 2015, Bailer has been a welcome scourge through its local and Irish underground scene, sharing stages with the likes of Red Enemy, Novelists, The Colour Line, Shields and more as well as playing main support to Murdock on tour. Aidan Cunningham from that fellow Irish band recorded, mixed, and mastered the Shaped By The Landscape, and fair to say if describing the distinct Bailer sound, Murdock would be used as a kind of reference as well as maybe Gacys Threads and The Dillinger Escape Plan. There is no escaping the sonic and vocal, let alone emotional, animosity fuelling and shaping the band's first poke at the broadest attention, or that it is one of the most punishingly thrilling debuts in the hardcore scene for quite a while.
The EP opens with Failsafe and immediately has ears enticed with its spicy guitar coaxing and then under siege by a wall of hungry riffs and barbarous rhythms. It is all conducted by the ferocious tones of vocalist Alex O'Leary, his searing squalls almost visibly scarring his throat as they enjoyably abrase ears. There is equally a swing to his delivery, a devilish catchiness which is even stronger in the web of fiery grooves that entangle ears and appetite amidst the rampant aggression of Paul Cashman's rhythmic swings. The carnivorous growl of David Cleere's bass is simply delicious in the mix as too the wonderfully nagging tapestry of metal and punk grooves and riffs cast by guitarist Chris Harte. The track is a glorious start to the release, and maybe the most virulently infectious slab of abuse heard in a long time.
It is not a one off though, being swiftly matched by The Binding. It starts off in the same vein as its predecessor but soon reveals its own nefarious twists and turns as O'Leary again shares rancor with the air. Everything about the song is also ridiculously catchy; the body and imagination is soon caught up in its hostile groove almost unaware of being battered and bruised, sonically and emotionally tossed around. Its sensational onslaught is followed by Anti-Venom and its own animus of spite and infectiousness. Grooves squirm with the tempest of noise and irritability, the snarling lure of the bass as seductive as ever whilst vocals rage and almost gloat over the victim, in the shape of the senses, crippled by the rhythmic battering alone. Not that the listener realises when being manipulated by an infestation of grooves and stirring hooks shared with similar zeal and power.
The Benefit Of Doubt is an even darker and more predatory proposal; venom toning every rhythmic strike and scything flash of guitar while all the time the bass adds a grouchy nag linking it all up. Maybe the least openly catchy song on the EP, though not by much, the track is as bold and majestic in craft and invention as it is in highly persuasive animosity. It is a formidable and stirring end to what is simply a killer and monumental debut from Bailer.
The CD version of Shaped By The Landscape actually comes with bonus tracks Call Of The Unknown and Animosity, and the cause of the only issue with the release; the fact that we were not sent those songs to cover too, though it is easy to assume they will live up to the other quartet. Already we are greedy for the Bailer incitement and it is hard to imagine we will be on our own once it is out there playing havoc with ears and the passions.
The self-released Shaped By The Landscape EP is released 29th April digitally and on CD @ https://bailerofficial.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/bailerofficial/
For more exploration of the independent and promotional services check out http://www.zykotika.com
Leave a comment Posted in EP, Music Tagged Bailer, Gacy's Threads, groove metal, hardcore, Metal, Murdock, Novelists, Red Enemy, RingMaster Review, Shaped By The Landscape, Shields, The Colour Line, The Dillinger Escape Plan
Cilver – Not The End Of The World
Some bands and their sound just seem to naturally spark attention and so it is with US based hard rockers Cilver. Over the past three years, the quartet has drawn a wave of increasing interest and support with their sound, success backed by an equally ascending live presence. Now the band is looking at waking up a broader expanse or ears and spotlights with debut album Not The End Of The World. As their sound in general, it is a rousing roar of familiar and distinctly fresh essences and textures creating a commandingly contagious spirit sparking proposition very easy to find a greedy appetite for.
Formed by Romanian born vocalist Uliana Preotu and guitarist Leon Lyazidi, a pair who had already been part of MeTalkPretty, Cilver began in New York in 2013. Within months they linked up with Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (Guns N' Roses, Art Of Anarchy) and released debut single In My Head. It and a subsequent EP of the same name the following year, quickly caught the attention of fans and media alike; inspiring eOne to sign them and now release the band's first album. 2014 also saw Cilver land a spot on Revolver magazine's Hottest Chicks in Hard Rock Tour alongside bands like Sick Puppies, Lacuna Coil, and Eyes Set to Kill. With a line-up completed by bassist Josh Pillbox and guitarist Ramsey Modiri, Cilver is now poised to spark their busiest and most successful year yet with Not The End Of The World, and a collection of songs seemingly as much inspired by the founding duo's experiences of being first-generation immigrants and life in the last days of communist rule in Romania as well as the hard journey to the point they are at now.
The album opens with Break Free and quickly has ears and intrigue involved as an opening vine of guitar is swiftly joined by crispy beats and the effect laced vocals of Preotu. A few more eager seconds sees the song in clear view and enticing limbs and imagination with its wall of imposing riffs and thumping rhythms. That initial hook still beckons within the now tempestuous climate and roar of the song with Preotu only impressing more and more with every syllable shared. Major surprises maybe less noticeable within the song but it has the body and spirit bouncing with infectious ease whilst blowing hard with a fresh breath of energy and sound.
The great start continues with I'm America, the first single from and teaser for the album released at the tail of last year. From the off, the song has a gentle but devilish swagger accentuated by Preotu's voice, a swing which really catches alight within a handful of seconds as grooves entwine the catchy rhythmic enticement badgering ears. Again there is something thickly recognisable about the track yet an element which seems to only add to the bluesy groove fest of anthemic dexterity and creative tenacity. The song simply beguiles ears and appetite, using the listener's body like a puppeteer though it is soon outshine by the excellent Headstone, a song with toxic grooves which just seduce the imagination. There is a touch of Sick Puppies to the song but of the three so far, it is the most unique and in turn striking proposal so far with Preotu's vocals glorious and again almost stealing all the limelight from the superb sonic and rhythmic craft on offer.
Razorblade romps in with creative and physical energy to the fore, a zeal just as open in the darker prowling moments that frequent this ear gripping proposition. With its predacious rock 'n' roll lit by a host of fiery hooks and a wonderfully unpredictable invention, the track marks another pinnacle in the lofty creative landscape of the album; a success emulated by the less invasive and irritable but just as dramatic and compelling Afterlife. Arguably the most lyrically evocative proposal yet on the release with Lyazidi's keys bringing a haunting and vivacious beauty to the emerging sonic blaze, the song captivates as it reveals more of the diversity in the band's songwriting and hard rock bred sound.
Rich melancholic strings and poetic keys open up the following power ballad Frozen, Preotu's presence almost siren-esque in her range of vocal expression and emotive theatre, whilst its successor, It's My Life, is a growling incitement of defiance and attitude carrying punk irritability to its chest thumping rock 'n' roll. Both tracks increasingly incite with every listen, as does the album, though each time they get eclipsed by the soaring roar of Bleed For You. Vocally and atmospherically, the track is a fire of temptation, emotionally crackling as rhythms snap and sonic enterprise flame around the heart bred outpouring of Preotu.
In My Head has the air boiling next, the track as powerful and irresistible as the first time it tempted ears three years back. It's infectiousness is virulent and confrontation bracing, whilst the imagination fuelling it is rarely surpassed within Not The End Of The World, or indeed other similarly styled releases in recent times.
The album is concluded by the galvanic adventures of firstly Behind These Eyes and finally Not Afraid. The first of the two is a more expectations satisfying encounter but heftily pleasing whilst the closer is as much punk as it is hard rock and a fierce and memorable stomp to close things up on.
Not The End Of The World is an album which leaves you alive with energy and spirit; it might not be the most unique but for a rousing, breathless, and thrilling experience, it and Cilver stand as an unreserved recommendation.
Not The End Of The World is released April 29th via eOne; physically @ http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_music_1?ie=UTF8&field-artist=Cilver&search-alias=music and digitally @ https://cilver.lnk.to/NotTheEndOfTheWorld
http://www.cilverband.com https://www.facebook.com/Cilver http://www.twitter.com/cilverband
Leave a comment Posted in Album, Music Tagged Art Of Anarchy, Cilver, eOne, Guns 'N' Roses, Hard Rock, In My Head EP, MeTalkPretty, Not The End Of The World, RingMaster Review, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, Sick Puppies
Ooberfuse – Secret Tattoo
Having recently returned from a prestigious Nashville songwriting camp sponsored by the UK government (UK Trade and Industry), the band part of a small number handpicked UK artists working with Nashville's songwriting royalty, electronic pop duo Ooberfuse unveil their new single in the shape of the magnetically alluring Secret Tattoo. It is a vibrant smile on the senses; a song which bubbles and simmers like a pot of warmed honey as sweet as it is compelling.
The Woolwich based Ooberfuse is the creative union of Hal St John and Cherrie Anderson, and a project which has seduced much of the world across hundreds of gigs including performing to an audience of 2 million in Madrid and playing for hundreds in one of Rio de Janeiro's notorious favelas. They have toured across the UK, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Canada, the Philippines, and Iraq whilst stirring up support from the likes of Paul Oakenfold, Sister Bliss (Faithless), Ministry of Sound, BBC Introducing's Tom Robinson, and Amazing Radio's Jim Gellatly. Following the successful trip mentioned at the start, Ooberfuse has UK spotlights in their sight again with Secret Tattoo, the successor to their praised 2015 single Fall and a song inspired by the thought, "Although love hides its face away from the gaze of a loveless world it nevertheless sprays, like urban graffiti, colourful designs on the flesh of the human ear."
Secret tattoo opens with a Yazoo like electro invitation quickly joined by the highly persuasive tones of Anderson. Backed by similarly alluring hues from St John, her voice dances on the senses; offering a warm siren-esque kiss on the ear as elegant and tempting as the weave of melodic synth cast suggestiveness around her. There is also a touch of Depeche Mode to the song as its meanders with purpose and resourceful enterprise across the imagination. Its body is slim, textures uncomplicated on the ear but together they create a pop song which lures the listener into a sultry embrace of emotive and electronic flirtation.
No demands are made by Secret Tattoo, just an invitation from Ooberfuse to immerse in its infectious charm; one easy to accept request.
Secret Tattoo is released April 29th
Upcoming Tour Dates:
9 May – London, Soho, Spice of Life
25 June – London, Hayes, Hayes Community Centre
6 July – Stonyhurst, Clitheroe, Stonyhurst College
http://www.ooberfuse.com/ https://www.facebook.com/ooberfuse https://twitter.com/ooberfuse/
4 Comments Posted in Music, Single Tagged Depeche Mode, electronica, Faithless, Jim Gellatly, Ministry of Sound, Ooberfuse, Paul Oakenfold, Pop, RingMaster Review, Secret Tattoo, Sister Bliss, Tom Robinson, Yazoo

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Crossfire International is a global network of youth and young adult ministries. We work with pastors worldwide implementing the Crossfire structure within their churches, this includes cell groups, cell lessons, camps, crusades, leadership training, evangelistic outreaches, drama, dance, and worship teams, and ongoing mission trips to our locations and new countries around the world.
Pastor Joe has traveled to 66 countries in 6 continents. During our early mission trips pastors and leaders invited us to implement Crossfire in their churches to assist them in reaching this generation, this is how Crossfire International was born. Through Crossfire International we have trained over 3400 pastors and leaders implementing Crossfire in 800 churches in 25 countries, 10 10/40 window nations, and several countries where Christians face persecution, nations such as Israel, Pakistan, Thailand, Laos, Kazakhstan among others. So far through Crossfire International we have seen over 14,000 youth and young adults accept Christ. And through the cell groups, evangelism, camps, crusades and mission trips we continue to reach out to thousands of youth and young adults each week worldwide.


MERAV is a name from Agnostic/Multiple Religions religion. As per Mamanames records, MERAV is a name of a Female/Girl; and, the name MERAV is of the Hebrew origin.
MERAV name meaning: Hebrew form of MERAB .
Meaning: Hebrew form of MERAB .


Our partnership provides simple, highly integrated audio solutions to bring technology and people together for Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business.
Poly and Microsoft are long-term partners committed to making your meetings work. Our high-quality headsets, speakerphones and software work seamlessly with Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business and are designed to be flexible to enable your teams to connect simply.
Plantronics UC headsets and speakerphones certified for Skype for Business will work with Microsoft Teams. Customers migrating to Microsoft Teams can continue to benefit from the quality experience Plantronics Skype for Business certified devices provide in the Microsoft Teams environment.
A comodità giornaliera, affidabilità e durata, caratteristiche per cui la famiglia EncorePro è nota, si aggiungono funzioni per il controllo chiamate integrate. EncorePro serie 500 USB è pronto per ogni chiamata, perché ogni chiamata conta.
A comodità giornaliera, affidabilità e durata, caratteristiche per cui la famiglia EncorePro è nota, si aggiungono funzioni per il controllo chiamate integrate. EncorePro serie 700 USB è pronto per ogni chiamata, perché ogni chiamata conta.
Maximize the value of your headset investment.
Looking for the right business solutions for your office or contact center, our business sales team can help.


text:
from django.core.management.base import BaseCommand, CommandError
from first_app.models import Cell

class Command(BaseCommand):
    def add_arguments(self, parser):
        parser.add_argument('wr_sz', type=int)

    def handle(self, *args, **options):
        wr_sz = options['wr_sz']
        for x in range(wr_sz):
            for y in range(wr_sz):
                cell = Cell()
                cell.x = x
                cell.y = y
                cell.save()
        print('World of %s cells succesfully generated' % wr_sz**2)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
package com.acmeair.web;

import au.com.dius.pact.provider.junit.PactRunner;
import au.com.dius.pact.provider.junit.Provider;
import au.com.dius.pact.provider.junit.State;
import au.com.dius.pact.provider.junit.loader.PactFolder;
import au.com.dius.pact.provider.junit.target.HttpTarget;
import au.com.dius.pact.provider.junit.target.Target;
import au.com.dius.pact.provider.junit.target.TestTarget;
import br.com.six2six.fixturefactory.Fixture;
import br.com.six2six.fixturefactory.loader.FixtureFactoryLoader;
import com.acmeair.entities.Customer;
import com.acmeair.entities.CustomerAddress;
import com.acmeair.morphia.entities.CustomerAddressImpl;
import com.acmeair.morphia.entities.CustomerImpl;
import com.acmeair.service.CustomerService;
import com.acmeair.web.dto.CustomerSessionInfo;
import org.junit.AfterClass;
import org.junit.Before;
import org.junit.BeforeClass;
import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
import org.springframework.boot.SpringApplication;
import org.springframework.context.ConfigurableApplicationContext;
import test.com.acmeair.service.CustomerRestApplication;

import java.text.DateFormat;
import java.text.ParseException;
import java.text.SimpleDateFormat;
import java.util.Date;

import static org.mockito.Matchers.anyString;
import static org.mockito.Mockito.reset;
import static org.mockito.Mockito.when;

@RunWith(PactRunner.class)
@PactFolder("../target/pacts")
@Provider("CustomerService")
public class CustomerServiceContractTest {
    private static CustomerService customerService;
    private static ConfigurableApplicationContext customerApplicationContext;

    @TestTarget
    public final Target target = new HttpTarget(8081);

    private final DateFormat dateFormat = new SimpleDateFormat("yyyy-MM-dd");

    private final RuntimeException exception = new RuntimeException("oops");

    private final Customer            customer            = new CustomerImpl(
            "sean-123",
            "password",
            Customer.MemberShipStatus.PLATINUM,
            1000,
            356,
            new CustomerAddressImpl(
                    "White Plains",
                    "Avenue 1",
                    "New York City",
                    "New York",
                    "USA",
                    "100010"
            ),
            "100-100-111",
            Customer.PhoneType.MOBILE
    );

    private final CustomerSessionInfo customerSessionInfo = new CustomerSessionInfo(
            "session-id-434200",
            "sean-123",
            dateOf("2017-04-08"),
            dateOf("2027-04-07")
    );

    @BeforeClass
    public static void startCustomerService() {
        customerApplicationContext = SpringApplication.run(CustomerRestApplication.class, "--server.port=8081", "--spring.profiles.active=test");
        customerService = customerApplicationContext.getBean(CustomerService.class);

        FixtureFactoryLoader.loadTemplates("com.acmeair.customer.templates");
    }

    @AfterClass
    public static void closeCustomerService() {
        customerApplicationContext.close();
    }

    @Before
    public void setUp() {
        reset(customerService);
    }

    @State("Customer Sean is registered")
    public void foundSpecifiedCustomer() {
        when(customerService.getCustomerByUsername(customer.getUsername())).thenReturn(customer);
        when(customerService.validateSession(customerSessionInfo.getId())).thenReturn(customerSessionInfo);
    }

    @State("No customer Mike found")
    public void noSuchCustomerFound() {
        when(customerService.getCustomerByUsername("mike")).thenReturn(null);
        when(customerService.validateSession("session-mike-123")).thenReturn(null);
    }

    private Date dateOf(String source) {
        try {
            return dateFormat.parse(source);
        } catch (ParseException e) {
            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Wrong date format. Expected is yyyy-MM-dd", e);
        }
    }
    @State("Remote customer loader is available")
    public void customerLoaderIsAvailable() {
        CustomerAddress address = Fixture.from(CustomerAddressImpl.class).gimme("valid");

        when(customerService.createAddress(
                anyString(),
                anyString(),
                anyString(),
                anyString(),
                anyString(),
                anyString()
        )).thenReturn(address);
    }

    @State("Remote customer loader is not available")
    public void customerLoaderIsNotAvailable() {
        when(customerService.createAddress(
                anyString(),
                anyString(),
                anyString(),
                anyString(),
                anyString(),
                anyString()
        )).thenThrow(exception);
    }
}


Calendula, also know as "flower of the sun", has been used around the world for centuries and is one of the most beneficial herbs in the plant kingdom. Calendula has an amazing history of documented healing as well as being used by ancient Egyptians that considered it to have rejuvenating properties.
Known for its outstanding ability to heal the skin. It has no known drug interactions, no toxic effects and no adverse effects for long term use. As always, please consult your physician if you are pregnant or nursing.
Ingredients: Organic Shea Butter (Butyrospemum Parkii). Organic Alcohol, Organic Cocoa Butter (Theobroma Cacao), Emulsifying Wax (Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 60), Avocado Fruit Oil (Persea Gratissima). Glycerin, Carrot Seed Oil (Daucus Carota Sativa), Witch Hazel Water (Hamamelis Virginiana). Vitamin E (Tocopherol). Sunflower Seed Oil (Helianthus Annuus). Rose Flower Water (Rosa Damascena). Organic Calendula Flower Extract (Calendula Officinalis). Mango Seed Butter (Mangifera Indica). Kokum Seed Butter (Garcinia Indica), Steric Acid, Xanthin Gum, 50 mg Phyto-Cannabinoid Rich CBD hemp oil.


Inspiration is often an undervalued component to office life. Some workplaces focus on other aspects of running an office, like time management and safety. Understandably so; these are important to the success and efficiency of a workplace. Unfortunately, it also means that some aspects of what drives a work environment can be overlooked. When companies emphasize the importance of lasting professional relationships, the results can be astounding.
A company that R&W has worked with that meets this standard is CIDA, Inc. Their community driven approach to architecture and engineering has created a company that R&W has enjoyed working alongside for over 25 years. The positive interactions between our respective team members has built an environment of trust and respect. In fact, R&W has worked with CIDA on 100 different projects. This is an exciting prospect that reflects R&W's dedication to building lasting relationships and speaks to the type of relationship we have with CIDA.
One of our team members who has worked on at least 20 projects with CIDA said that his favorite part of working with them is the positive professional relationship between our two firms: "There's more of an understanding of people, in terms of deadlines and people's personal time. Everyone still has a life outside of the office." When asked about the importance of R&W's professional relationship with CIDA, he said, "It's very important. Without them, I would not have been referred on other projects." He continued, "Projects are not always perfect. They have their own oddities. CIDA understands that and the team works together to resolve problems in a timely manner." Understanding the perspectives of employees, clients, and contractors is exactly the kind of professionalism that inspires loyalty and fosters strong connections between not only a company and their clients, but also a company and others they may work with.
In 2017, CIDA was recognized as one of the top 100 best companies to work for in Oregon. Companies that are good to work for are often the companies that are good to work with. Another member of our team said of his favorite part of working with CIDA, "It's the people. R&W's vision is Building Lasting Relationships, and with the team at CIDA this has been easy. No matter who is assigned to projects at either company, we work well together and have mutual respect that makes projects fun and successful." He continued, "…CIDA is a group of people that you know enjoy their work…and respect those they work with. Knowing my input is valued makes CIDA a great partner." Fostering positive professional relationships is a key inspirational tool.
Reaching the benchmark of 100 projects with CIDA is exciting for us at R&W. It communicates just how special our relationship is. To have the kind of professional affiliation with a company wherein our team members enjoy interacting with their team members, even when stress is high and deadlines inch closer, is a tremendous thing. It's precisely what has established the trust and respect that exists between our respective companies, and that trust and respect are the foundation of the rapport we've built over the last 25 years.
The values, cultures, and attitudes of a company stem from its leadership. Owners and managers who emphasize the importance of professional relationships will likely create a working atmosphere that also emphasizes those relationships. Another member of R&W's team said of her experience with CIDA, "There's a comradery between our companies that has created great relationships and positive interactions. CIDA is the client you enjoy calling, and that makes jobs flow smoothly. It opens channels of efficient communication. There's a greater feeling of being part of a team and cooperating toward the same goal." She also said that, in her experience, these values are applied to every interaction she's had with CIDA, regardless of whom she interacts with. This kind of inspiration builds professional success and establishes environments the clients and contractors enjoy being a part of.
Inspiration comes in many forms and through endless mediums. CIDA is an inspiring company for many reasons, some of which have been discussed here. What stands out is the positivity of their interactions with R&W. From being friendly and communicative to understanding the oddities of each job, CIDA has impacted R&W in positive ways. To see our firm reach 100 projects with CIDA is inspiring and serves to remind us that cultivating positive professional relationships is a worthwhile endeavor.
Here's to 100 jobs with CIDA and many more to come!


Financial performance measures assist managers in making strategic plans and tracking progress in relationship to a farm's goals. Kansas Farm Management Association data were used to compute average financial performance measures by herd size for beef cow farms. Farms with over 200 cows derived a larger percent of their income from beef cow production, tended to be large r in terms of gross farm income and total assets, were more profitable, and had lower debt ratios. Differences in financial performance among beef cow farms suggest that comparisons should be made only with herds that are similar in size.


text:
FROM composer:2.4.3 AS composer

FROM php:8.1.11

RUN apt-get update \
    && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends libicu-dev git unzip \
    && docker-php-ext-configure intl \
    && docker-php-ext-install intl \
    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

RUN mkdir /daux && mkdir /build

WORKDIR /daux

COPY --from=composer /usr/bin/composer /usr/bin/composer

# Copy files
COPY composer.json /daux/composer.json
COPY composer.lock /daux/composer.lock

RUN composer install --prefer-dist --no-ansi --no-dev --no-interaction --no-progress --no-scripts --optimize-autoloader

COPY bin/ /daux/bin/
COPY libs/ /daux/libs/
COPY templates/ /daux/templates/
COPY themes/ /daux/themes/
COPY daux_libraries/ /daux/daux_libraries/
COPY global.json /daux/global.json
COPY index.php /daux/index.php

RUN ln -s /daux/bin/daux /usr/local/bin/daux

ARG DAUX_VERSION=unknown
ENV DAUX_VERSION=$DAUX_VERSION

WORKDIR /build

EXPOSE 8085

CMD ["daux"]


I hate wasps. No, seriously … I HATE WASPS. OK, OK … truth be told, I am PETRIFIED of wasps. Yup. This bona-fide country girl who wrangles 5-foot snakes, rides horses, shoots guns, swims in farm ponds, catches crawdads bare-handed, walks barefoot in the goat pen, and hypnotizes chickens is reduced to a quivering, sniveling, panic-stricken complete fool in the presence of one of these miniscule creatures from the depths of hell.
Logically, I understand I am much, much bigger and stronger than they are. But when I am dive-bombed by one of these evil fire-breathing demons, my fight-or-flight instinct kicks in high gear and I become a windmill of flailing arms, screeching unintelligible gibberish and sprinting in no direction in particular. I. Hate. Wasps.
We live in an old farmhouse. I don't know what it is about old farmhouses … maybe the gaps in the construction that have formed over time … maybe there is an attic portal straight to the hell they come from … whatever it is, old farmhouses seem to birth wasps from thin air. It makes my life as a spheksophobic (that's apparently what the phobia of wasps is called, according to Google) akin to living in a perpetual nightmare.
So, I have embarked on a Total Wasp Annihilation Campaign (T.W.A.C. for short). My only defense right now (aside from the aforementioned arm-flailing, screaming, running thing) is our atom-bomb wasp spray that covers everything in a smelly, oily, toxic napalm. I admit the stuff works, and I do enjoy watching the wasps (aka demons from hell) writhing in agony when they hit the ground after being liberally hosed with the stuff. But, I don't enjoy the chemicals being liberally showered everywhere as a result of the ensuing battle. We need more weapons in our T.W.A.C arsenal.
Fly swatters and shoes have been put into action. These weapons work OK, but there are a couple of issues. First, wasps are most prevalent during the summer months. I am normally, blissfully, barefoot during the summer months. My feet thoroughly enjoy this time of release from winter captivity, and so shoes are not always at the ready. When I do happen to have shoes on my feet, they are usually in the form of cheap flip-flops and could hardly be classified as a weapon capable of inflicting any lethal form of blunt-force trauma.
Second, I do not make it a habit of keeping a fly swatter on my person at all times. And wasps are known to unleash hell at any given time. So, I am usually unarmed when an assault occurs. Not only that, but wasps, whom God has seen fit to grant an unnaturally tough tank-like shell coating to their bodies, are merely perturbed by the fly swatter. It just makes them mad. Well, mad-der. I think wasps have a perpetual chip on their creepy little winged shoulders.
What to do? I have read countless articles online, but most deal with just killing them once they are already there. There are lots of "natural solutions" to killing them, but again this is once they are already in residence. I want a permanent eviction notice. I don't ever, ever, EVER want them to come back. Ever. This is a tall order, I know. But surely someone out there knows how to keep these pests from moving in. Especially in places like kids' playhouses, greenhouses, horse trailers and garden sheds. We have a persistent family of midnight blue-colored wasps that builds a nest every year behind the spare tire and in the nose of my horse trailer. Every year we evict them … several times. But they come back again and again!
Yes, I know they are beneficial pollinators, and they help take care of the nasty bug population, and "they won't hurt you if you don't hurt them." Whatever. As far as I'm concerned, they are big bullies, and I just want some form of control over where they set up house. Specifically not anywhere in, around, or near MY house. So, anyone have any tried and true methods for me to add to my T.W.A.C arsenal? I'm declaring war.
Thanks for the comments, guys! I also heard that applying oil to common nesting sites helps to curtail their building there. I was told baby oil works well, and it would be a more "natural" approach to keeping them at bay. I just hate opening the door to my horse trailer and beating a hasty (and panic-induced) retreat when I get dive-bombed! And Dave, I hear ya! I get buzzed every time I walk into my barn! They are particularly bad this year. Cshellz - I have started a crop of peppermint near my house in the hope that it will deter wasps from building in the eaves and around the deck. I plan on adding more herbs in the near future! Thanks for the advice!
Jacqueline, I've only had one up close and personal encounter with a wasp. I was in the barn minding my own business of cleaning out the stalls when wham, it stung me right under the left eye. No nest in sight. No hive around. Just one lonely wasp out on a walk about. An hour later it started to swell and three hours later the whole side of my face was swollen and I could hardly see out of my left eye. It took three days for the swelling to recede back to normal. Since then, I've done my best to rid the world of wasp hives. Just the other day a neighbor came for help in destroying a wasp nest in the peak of her house. First a pole to knock down the hive was used. Then a climb up a ladder to spray down the area with wasp killer to keep them from coming back. I'm not sure what's in the wasp spray but once they get a whiff of it they are gone. They don't stick around to sting the sprayer. I'm not sure where they went but the neighbor was glad to have them gone. ***** Have a great wasp free day.


Get to know the IAC's history, impact and goals.
Learn about what the IAC has been up to the past year.
Meet the IAC's National Leadership.
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Check out the upcoming IAC Events across the nation.
The IAC supports a variety of organizations and initiatives across the US.
Learn about various programs in Israel such as Gap Year, Garin'im, Internships, Mechinot, Schools and Universities, and Volunteering opportunities.


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Helping Community-Giving Organizations to Become Safer.
The 7th annual Gift of Security is a national corporate giving initiative that provides $10,000 worth of integrated security services from Security 101® and equipment from our 2019 product partners, Axis Communications® and WESCO, which is awarded to one nonprofit winner for each participating office location.
Submit your vote once per day!
The Security 101® -Charlotte 2019 Gift of Security online voting period begins at 12:00 a.m. EST on November 19th, 2018 and you may cast your vote(s) for one of the elected nonprofit organizations listed in the voting module here, where all votes will be collected and stored. An individual will be allowed to cast one vote every 24 hours during the voting period which will last until midnight EST on December 10th, 2018. Please note that in the event a duplicate vote is successfully made within the same 24-hour period, it shall be deemed invalid and will not be included in the final count.
Check out the 3 finalists and their missions
1. Safe Alliance
safealliance.org
Mission is to provide hope and healing for those impacted by domestic violence and sexual assault. We do this through a variety of programs and services: 24 hour sexual assault/rape and domestic violence crisis lines, safety planning for survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence and child abuse, shelter for survivors of domestic violence, hospital accompaniment for survivors of sexual assault/rape (24/7), Individual, couples and family counseling as well as play therapy for children, Legal representation by pro-bono attorneys for domestic violence survivors and many more services.
2. Children & Family Services Center
childrenfamily.org
Children & Family Services is a consortium of partner agencies, dedicated to eradicating poverty in the Charlotte area. This innovative partnership of community resources enables these agencies to work together to improve the lives of children and families in our community. The non-profit agencies that share space in the Children & Family Services Center serve more than 198,600 children and families annually in Mecklenburg County and across the state. Mission: Improving the lives of children and families through an innovative partnership of community resources that promotes strong families and advocates for change.
3. Gracious Hands Transitional House
gracioushandshousing.org
Gracious Hands Transitional Housing is a 501c-3 certified non-profit partnership originally founded by two teen mothers who would have been homeless with their children if it hadn't been for the support and help of others. Gracious Hands is committed to changing the world, one family at a time by providing temporary shelter while educating, encouraging, and empowering women with children to attain a brighter future economically, socially and spiritually. Services include transitional housing, life skills training, and therapy( personal and family counseling).
See program rules
2018 Winner:
Ada Jenkins Center
www.adajenkins.org
Other Finalists:
Charlotte Rescue Mission
charlotterescuemission.org
The Union County Community Shelter
unionshelter.org
Grand Prize:
Security system provided by our 2018 sponsor, Axis Communications®, as well as professional installation, engineering, and programming from Security 101.
Florence Crittenton Services of NC
www.fcsnc.org
Hope of Mooresville
hopeofmooresville.org
Redeeming Joy
redeemingjoy.org
Hope Haven
http://www.hopehaveninc.org
9731-G Southern Pine Blvd.
Contact | Privacy & Security


The American Red Cross is facing a severe blood shortage and urgently needs blood and platelet donors to give now.
The Red Cross also needs volunteer blood drive hosts to prevent the shortage from worsening in the winter.
During September and October, the Red Cross collected over 21,000 fewer blood and platelet donations than what hospitals needed. Blood donors of all types, especially type O and platelet donors, are urged to make an appointment to donate at RedCrossBlood.org or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS.
"This time of year, as many give thanks for family, friends and good health, it's important to remember that patients across the country cannot survive without your generosity," said Cliff Numark, senior vice president, Red Cross Biomedical Services.
To encourage donations around the Thanksgiving holiday, those who come to donate blood or platelets with the Red Cross Nov. 21-24 will receive a long-sleeved Red Cross T-shirt, while supplies last.


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Q: mysql bash escaping my single quotes I am trying to execute a mysql query from a shell script on Ubuntu 16. Let's call the variable $thing.
Shell script
thing=stuff.whatever
mysql -h host -u superuser -ppassword123 --database bestdbever -e "update table set column1=1 where column2='$thing';"

where gets sent is this....
mysql -h host -u superuser -ppassword123 --database bestdbever -e "update table set column1=1 where column2='\''stuff.whatever'\'';'

When escaping the single quote, it sends
mysql -h host -u superuser -ppassword123 --database bestdbever -e "update table set column1=1 where column2=\'\''stuff.whatever\'\'';'

and then I cry.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


To make sure the trees in your yard are able to grow and thrive, it is best to let us perform deep root fertilization.
If you have several trees in your yard, you may believe that you can keep them healthy by simply adding a basic fertilizer around their bases every so often. However, this is often not enough to keep your trees strong and healthy. To make sure the trees in your yard are able to grow and thrive, it is best to let us at Hudson Tree Services perform deep root fertilization.
Deep root fertilization is a process that allows us to inject a mix of fertilizer and tree-care nutrients directly into the base of your trees using specialised equipment. This ultimately maximises the impact fertilization has on the root systems of your trees and also promotes greater health throughout various weather conditions and seasons.
One of the main reasons why this process is beneficial is because it fertilizes your trees' deepest roots and provides them with needed nutrients. When a standard fertilization process is used, the nutrients your trees need often do not go very far below the surface, leaving the roots of your trees vulnerable to deterioration.
At Hudson Tree Services, we are 100% dedicated to helping you maintain the health and beauty of your trees. If you are unsure whether your trees could benefit from deep root fertilization, we are more than happy to provide you with more information. Contact us today to speak with one of our friendly representatives and find out more about what sets our services apart.


Thick rice noodles are chewy and slurpable.
1. Simmer all ingredients for 4 hours, skimming off foam that rise to the surface.
2. Remove and cool whole chicken. Pull meat and skin off into shredded strips for later use.
1. Mix tapioca starch and rice flour in a bowl. Add boiling water (1⁄3 cup at a time) and mix until dough is firm.
2. Form dough into fist size pieces. Roll flat while dusting with rice flour. Cut into strips.
1. Bring broth to boil and add chicken. Add noodles and boil for approximately 4-5 mins.
2. Pour soup into bowl and serve with remaining ingredients, to taste.


We started our Food Pantry Ministry in December of 2014. We began serving 10-15 families a week. We partnered with The San Diego Food Bank and utilizing it's resources, we are now serving close to 200 families a week. We see 15-20 new families every week.


When compared with the ways it has transformed dating, shopping, terrorism, and interpersonal communication, the fact that the Internet is changing how a few social scientists work may not seem like much to get excited about. But if Duncan Watts is right, it should be. The Columbia University sociologist is among the most active and imaginative of a group of scholars who are using websites like Facebook, eBay, and Amazon to try to answer some of the most basic questions about human behavior—why ideas spread, what we look for in choosing friends, how we decide what things are worth to us.
Few have embraced the Web as a research tool quite like Watts, who's taken a leave from Columbia to work at the New York lab of Yahoo Research, in large part because of the trove of data that it allows him to work with. Among his recent projects is Music Lab, a music-downloading site he co-created where thousands of users get to listen to songs they've never heard before. The site has allowed Watts to study how a song becomes a hit. In an experiment described in his most recent paper, he took the popularity rankings of the songs on the site and, unbeknownst to the users, reversed them. What he found is that while there is a self-perpetuating quality to popularity, we're not utter lemmings—people will like something more if you tell them it's popular, but they won't like it as much as something that actually is popular. What's more, the manipulation seemed to drive people away from the site—they didn't look around for songs they liked more than the artificially popular ones; they just gave up and left.


Every teacher has a teaching philosophy whether he or she realizes it. A teaching philosophy is important in knowing what works and what does not work in terms of conveying the material to the students effectively. There are many different philosophies in education, a few main ones being pragmatism, behaviorism, and constructivism. Organic chemistry is a very difficult class student's encounter in college. Being able to convey these difficult concepts in a manner the students can understand is important in student success. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between teaching philosophies and methods in undergraduate sophomore level organic chemistry. This study was conducted in the Department of Chemistry in a large university in the southeastern United States during the spring semester. The participants of the research study were three male professors who were teaching organic chemistry during the current semester. Their philosophies were determined, first by giving a semi-structured interview, followed by classroom observations to see how their statements matched to their lectures. The three teachers showed evidence of both pragmatism and constructivism in their philosophies, and used similar methods when teaching organic chemistry.


Ever eat raw Cookie Dough? Pretty yummy, huh? We found a way to create a raw Cookie Dough that is totally egg-free, safe to eat, and coated in delicious milk chocolate.
Cookie Dough Bites family of products now available in 8 yummy flavors: Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter, Dark Chocolate, Fudge Brownie, Cookies 'N Cream, Cupcake, Cinnamon Bun and now Red Velvet Cupcake.


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Meet Liz's Grandfather, Robert Wengert, a decorated Navy Veteran
by Liz Ravaioli | May 25, 2018 | Uncategorized | 0 comments
Robert Wengert was a Petty Officer 2nd Class in the U.S. Navy. He joined the reserves in 1953 and left in 1961. During that time he spent 4 years in active duty (1956 – 1959).
He was based at Imperial Beach, CA; Washington, DC; Fort Devon's Massachusetts and Bremerhaven, Germany. However, when asked about which of these stations he'd regard as his favorite, he cited Bremerhaven because after all Europe was a new exciting experience for him and he was enjoying the respect and benefits of having attained a higher rank.
Robert's expertise included flying dirigibles and special intelligence. He attended communication school in California and then went on to learn the language of our cold war adversary, Russian, while in Washington, D.C. When asked what he enjoyed most about the Navy, he said flying dirigibles. "You were up in the air but close to the ground, it was just very pleasant and a lot of fun. Imagine going over the ocean, making a dye marker, calling the jets in to shoot missiles at it or bomb it…and that was fun. Being a communications technician, that was actually, fairly boring," he said.
Family and Life Outside the Navy
Outside of his role within the Navy, Robert was a dedicated family man. He married his high school sweetheart – Dianne. He met Dianne whilst he was in the Navy Reserve in 1954 and they've been married for 60
years. After Robert left high school he went immediately into the Navy, and communicated through letters with Dianne, only ever able to speak to each other via phone on special occasions (back then phone calls were costly). They finally got married on June 20th, 1957. Robert and Dianne have 2 children – Bonnie Jean and Jim and 4 grandchildren – Daniel (27), Elizabeth (25), John (23) and Andrew (26).
Favorite Experiences while in the Navy
For Robert, the most exhilarating thing about being in the Navy was flying dirigibles. He recounted his favorite story from that experience – "…we had two airships, squadrons if you will, and we were in Georgia near the Okefenokee Swamp. We were up in the air doing a training exercise, and when it was time to land, the other one landed first and misjudged how much heat was rising and tore the landing gear off and smashed both propellers into the ground… After putting new propellers on it and new landing gear, that did not have shock absorbers or a hydraulic system, the pilot insisted he fly it back to New Jersey, where they came from, and the same thing happened! He misjudged the landing and smashed both propellers into the ground and tore the landing gear right off. Unfortunately he lost his 'wings' (license to fly, essentially). They did not have accident forgiveness back then. Although it is unfortunate, everyone was safe but it sticks with me – because most of military life was boring and flying was a pleasantry. It was always so exciting to be up in the air like that."
When asked why he joined the Navy, he responded "truth be told, it was because the draft was still going on, for the Korean War, and everyone that was getting drafted was going into the Army and Marine Corps, and once you get drafted they told you where you were going and you did not have a choice, and I wanted to have a choice and preferred the Navy."
Life after the Navy
After leaving the Navy in 1961, Robert worked for a Caterpillar tractor company, then went on to work with a finance company, until he finally found his passion and he decide to open his own business, a toy store. The toy store had bicycles, trains, and sporting goods. He ran this store until he joined IBM in 1968. Twenty six years later he retired on December 1st, 1993. To stay busy, he drove buses for about 9 years before fully retiring in Montague, NJ around 2003.
In 2010, he and his wife moved from Montague, NJ to New Bern, NC where they currently reside. He lives in a scenic golf course community and loves to play Bridge. He has been playing Bridge for about 25 years and is a Life Master (someone that has accumulated 500 master points, which can be acquired at National Tournaments or Sectional Tournaments). To this day, he still plays every Wednesday and Thursday.
One of Robert and Dianne's four grandchildren, Elizabeth or Liz as she is known works with her father Ken Ravaioli who is the co-founder and owner of NewGen Restores.


2. Preview the webpage. Make sure the images are uploaded to the web and view your webpage/newsletter in a browser.
4. In CRM, open a new email template, place your cursor in the body, and Ctrl+V or click the clipboard to paste the content. Wait a moment for all the images to load.
5. You will need to format the text manually inside the CRM template. Any text formatting from your webpage will not be retained.
6. Now you can add any dynamic fields. If you are creating a Contact template, you can add in contact.firstname, etc. using the insert/add fields button in the email template window.
From here you simply select your email template, choose if you want it sent to all the listed contacts, and click send. You can also send it from a queue, which is handy so you don't have to have returned emails all pop back into your own inbox!
Is there any way to get a HTML email that uses CSS to work in CRM. When I copy my web page from IE to CRM the table formatting works, images import and text imports but the CSS rules are absent so the page looks like a mess.
Unfortunately there is no way to get CSS, whether inline or external, into a CRM email template. This is something that I have suggested to Microsoft (though I will be amazed if they include it). The best I am hoping for with the next version of CRM is an improved email design interface.
I've been scouring the web for days and am hitting dead ends, even in the newsgroups.
Haven't seen any way to use conditional HTML in an email in workflow, but most conditions should be able to be handled in the workflow rules themselves. I make a lot of use of subprocesses (manual rules called by another rule) to handle these kinds of scenarios.
I'm hoping the MS will take action on this. From a marketing perspective this isn't as friendly as they make it out to be. HTML email campaigns are a MUST so I'm hoping that they will incorporate this.
Wouldn't it be nice if MS CRM had the ability to easily create an HTML email, track the click thru's, open rates and bounces?
Ok, I'll wake up now. Sorry. If anyone as advice or finds a way to do this I would be interested in knowing.
I followed your instructions and ran into a problem with all of the emails getting stuck in my SBS 2003 Queue and pluging up the queue. this doesn not happne with emails sent from the WOrkflow Manager.
Any ideas will be apreaciated.
Btw....you can use inline CSS in Microsoft CRM 3. You can manage the layout but will not be able to provide hover on links though.
Have you ever had an occasion where when copying and pasting the images and colors appear as you want them too only until you save the template? That's what I'm encountering.
I've tried this and it works, but if I send out mail it just ends up in the unwanted mail and never in the inbox. Has anyone else had this problem? And maybe has an answer for this.
Hi there. Thanks for your help on that John.
I've look all around the world for ages and couldn't find anything about the process (with no development preferably) for a client to unsubscribe to the newsletter when received. This is mandatory when sending that king of email!
Thanks in advance to anyone who could help me on that!
CRM 3.0 lets you put an unsubscribe link in an email template. Basically you type in a sentence in your email, like "To unsubscribe from this list, click here." Then select the word "here" and press the unsubscribe button on the template design toolbar. This will make the selected text a mailto: link with the return address automatically set to the user account that installed CRM (I think that's the account it uses anyway - there's a dearth of documentation about this.) So basically you can then build a rule in Exchange/Outlook to alert someone when an email is received at this address and that person can manually update the contact record to change their email preferences. I think there may be some third party tools out there that will handle this automatically to save you some manual steps. If your organization sends out a lot of mass email, you might consider outsourcing it to a direct email provider in order to avoid getting your own mail server blacklisted.
Any idea how to add an attachment and any idea how to use the email template in a marketing campaign activity. Seems like the only time you get to use bulk email in a marketing activity is when you use the outlook mail merge function.
Matt ever come across anyone who has written a non SaaS HTML email template addon for MSCRM?
I have a question, do you have any screenshots of this functionality? I want to try this but I have no experience with html and editors. Hope you can help me. By the way good blog.


Increasing global connectivity is allowing businesses of all sizes to expand into the global market. The need for flexibility and forward thinking make this growth highly suited to entrepreneurs, but breaking into this lucrative market can be daunting and often requires guidance. This month's Growing Your Business seminar focuses on providing entrepreneurs with an insight into models for global growth. In a Q&A with Corporate LiveWire, global business expansion expert Mona Pearl reveals some key tactics to accelerate your business into the global market.
Entering the global market means a drastic increase in possible competitors. Pearl suggests competitive prices are not enough; it is essential to formulate an approach customized to the unique qualities of both your company and new target audience.
Each segment of the global market has its own unique economic trends, cultural values and industry leaders. Carefully formulate your decision of where to expand by finding the market that best fit the strengths and goals of your company.
Day-to-day operations do not usually leave companies with enough time to research and develop the long-term action plan necessary to go global. An expert provides the experience essential to identifying the markets that are right for your company.
Leah is completing her final year of the Visual Culture and Communications specialist program at the University of Toronto Mississauga and Sheridan College. She is interning at the RIC centre, bringing her experience in digital, print and website design. Leah is eager to begin a career in corporate communications after her graduation in June.
The RIC blog is designed as a showcase for entrepreneurs and innovation. Our guest bloggers provide a wealth of information based on their personal & professional experiences. Visit RIC Centre for more information on how RIC can accelerate your ideas to market.


text:
Verizon LG VL600 review: blazing LTE comes to your laptop
Verizon's LTE network claims to be blazingly fast, and now you can get it on …
Jacqui Cheng - Mar 8, 2011 12:50 pm UTC
35 with 30 posters participating
Verizon's 4G (LTE) network is finally becoming a viable over-the-air data option for many users based in mid- to large-sized cities in the US. As of December 2010, the network officially launched in 38 markets, and the company announced in January plans to expand to 140 additional markets in 2011. By mid-2012, the carrier plans to have coverage in two-thirds of the US, finally offering some real competition to Sprint/Clear's 4G (WiMAX) offerings.
We here at Ars have been curious to see how Verizon's LTE offerings would perform in the real world, so we managed to get a hold of Verizon's recently launched LG VL600 LTE modem to test out. The modem is a USB dongle that works with Windows and (finally!) Mac OS X, and if our experiences are in any way typical, the device raises the bar for 4G speeds to new heights.
In the box is the modem, USB extension cable, and a clip if you should decide to plug the modem in via the USB cable and clip it to your laptop display—an accessory that strikes me as odd to include by default with the package, but who am I to judge? There's also a driver CD (Windows-only) and a number of "getting started" booklets, as well as the SIM card. The Windows-only driver CD is slightly annoying—usually, USB devices like this come with some minimal Flash storage with software on it for those emergency moments when you're on a new computer and need an Internet connection now, and this one does not.
What you get in the VL600 box
For a USB dongle, this one is awfully fat. It's 3.88 inches long and 1.48 inches wide, and when plugged into the USB port of my MacBook Pro, it blocks access to the other ports on either side, making it impossible to use if I also want to use my other USB port (which I typically do, especially if I'm off covering an event on my own and need to tether my camera while remaining online). This problem is somewhat mitigated by the USB extension cable, though clipping the dongle to a laptop display is a little less than aesthetically pleasing. Still, it gets the job done.
Too fat to plug into USB? Clip it somewhere instead.
The software, at least on the Mac, is ugly and only works when it feels like it. We ran into issues across multiple machines when the drivers refused to recognize the VL600 when it was plugged in, a situation that could only be remedied by a reboot. The software also feels the need to take command of other, non-VL600 USB modems we tried to use, something we weren't so fond of either. The dongle doesn't appear to work with Mac OS X's own built-in drivers, though, so you're pretty much required to put these drivers on your machine if you want to use the VL600. (Personally, I'm looking forward to uninstalling it now that this review has been published.)
The software not only allows you to connect to Verizon's LTE network, but also shows your data usage and other handy statistics. You'll want to monitor how much data you're using, too, because Verizon has caps on its LTE plans: $50 per month for 5GB and $80 per month for 10GB. Normally we would be fine with a 5GB data cap, but that's usually assuming we're using something much slower for OTA data. When you're using something as fast as this dongle (which we'll get to in a minute), it might be a little too easy to blow through 5GB of data on your laptop. This software, as ugly as it is, will help you keep track of it.
Data speeds: LTE delivers
The VL600 has an advantage over some other USB modems in that it can connect to both Verizon's LTE and 3G network instead of just one or the other; this means whenever you're outside of Verizon's LTE coverage map, you'll at least still be able to get online, albeit not at the LTE network's awesome data speeds.
And awesome those speeds are. Verizon uses 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE), which offers a theoretical maximum of 100Mbps downloads and 50Mbps uploads on the 20MHz channel. As always, theoretical maximums aren't realistic when comparing against everyday use, but still, we were impressed with what we saw.
Verizon estimates that users will get between 5Mbps and 12Mbps downloads on a fully loaded network, but we were able to regularly get around 20Mbps down and 15Mbps up at various locations around Chicago. Additionally, we were able to consistently get around 16Mbps in San Francisco recently, and we've heard of numbers in the 18Mbps range for New York. So, at least for now, it seems as if users in major cities will be able to get even faster connections than what Verizon estimates.
Even Verizon's lower estimates would be a pretty major upgrade from the 4-5Mbps downloads we're used to getting on our Overdrive 4G through Sprint, or the 3-7Mbps downloads we're seeing on the Clear Puck. Since Sprint's WiMAX network (which it licenses out to Clear) has been around for much longer than Verizon's LTE network, there are likely lots more users bogging down the network than there currently are on Verizon.
Still, it's hard to resist Verizon's offering once you experience those speeds. During our testing, it was easy to forget that we were even using a wireless connection, which speaks well of the data speeds, but isn't quite so friendly to your download cap. As we mentioned earlier, a 5GB limit is a lot easier to respect when you're getting slower speeds (like, say, when using Verizon's 3G network).
But at something around 20Mbps, you may find yourself going over that limit sooner than later. 10GB is probably a more comfortable limit for anyone who will be using the dongle for more than a few days a month, but then you're also forking over $80 every month and don't get to share the connection with other devices (unless you do so manually via your computer's Internet sharing settings).
That's the major downside—in our eyes, anyway—to using the VL600 over something that's a dedicated hotspot: if you want to share, you have to have at least one laptop on hand to get the connection going. You can't just grab the VL600 and hit the road with a couple of iPads and some smartphones if the mood strikes. And on top of that, Sprint's WiMAX offerings are only $60 per month instead of $80 and there's no data cap, though that may end some day in the future.
The VL600 is a surefire way to bring extremely fast data speeds to your laptop when you are otherwise un-tethered from your home or work's Internet connection. It's not exactly the sleekest design on earth—we've used other USB dongles that don't block the other ports and come with Flash storage—but we're mostly willing to let it slide because the LTE network is so great.
How long those great speeds will last is anyone's guess. The speeds we saw will likely go down as more customers bog down the network, but we still expect Verizon to offer great data speeds for months (or even years) to come.
The downsides, in our eyes, come from the fact that it's basically a one-device modem. This is fine for those who have no use for a hotspot, but gives pause to some of us here at Ars. If I'm going to be sinking $100 or more (not counting service) into a new wireless device, I'm more likely to look at what's available to me in the dedicated hotspot arena.
Verizon's LTE speeds deliver. The best 4G we've used yet.
Data caps—could be very easy to run over a 5GB or 10GB monthly limit
Fat modem blocks all the other ports around it
The software. Definitely the software.
Jacqui Cheng Jacqui is an Editor at Large at Ars Technica, where she has spent the last eight years writing about Apple culture, gadgets, social networking, privacy, and more.
Email jacqui@arstechnica.com // Twitter @eJacqui
zelannii Ars Praefectus
Did you guys do any extensive testes over several hour periods. I've been hearing from other industry people i know that LTE does hit peak speeds as advertised, but performance is all over the map, and over long downloads or just long sessions with idle time online, its average speed is only about 5mbit, and sometimes when the speed drops, it can only be made to go faster by disconnecting and reconnecting the device to the network. It seems it speed tests well for 5-15 minutes, then drops off to around 3-4mbps. From the chart it seems highly inconsistent. Did you guys get a real feel for the network reliability here beyond some simply speed tests after initial connections?
...and yea, that 10Gb cap, I could eat through that in less than a day.
Fotek Ars Centurion
Shame we won't get LTE in the UK until 2013 at the earliest...
387 posts | registered Jan 23, 2005
teran Ars Centurion
How did the Windows software and drivers work?
Althornin Ars Centurion
The windows software isn't bad - just an update to the same VZAccess software all VZW cards have always used. Mac is an afterthought, which is crappy for mac users, but it seems ridiculous to spend half a review trashing the software for 5% of the market.
We've got a couple of the other modem available - Pantech UML290 4G USB Modem - and it is huge also. Feels like a satellite dish on my small laptop. But it is very fast. We are eagerly awaiting the LTE built-in cards.
In my sustained testing, speeds in Houston seem to stay at or above 5Mb. I've never had speeds up in the 20Mb, but I've seen 10Mb.
skicow Ars Praefectus
You'll want to monitor how much data you're using, too, because Verizon has caps on its LTE plans: $50 per month for 5GB and $80 per month for 10GB. Normally we would be fine with a 5GB data cap, but that's usually assuming we're using something much slower for OTA data. When you're using something as fast as this dongle (which we'll get to in a minute), it might be a little too easy to blow through 5GB of data on your laptop.
And that's the rub isn't it? Fast wireless is great to have, but it's practically useless if such low data caps are imposed -- especially given that wireless is the future of the Internet.
foldor Seniorius Lurkius
What about the software was so bad? This just kept telling us it was horrible, but didn't exactly mention *what* was so bad about it. Also, how does it work on Windows? Is there any support unofficially for Linux? What is the ping times like? I assume it's not suitable for gaming, but is it good enough for making a phone call with?
This is a pretty bare bones review to say the least.
18 posts | registered Dec 17, 2009
It works great on windows. If you've ever used a VZW card on Windows before, it works EXACTLY the same. Just an update to the VZAccess Manager software. (note: We use Windows 7 x64 exclusively here at work)
dagamer34 Ars Scholae Palatinae
This is why I prefer MiFi-type devices. No drivers to install and it works on several devices at once!
JohnnyTheGeek Ars Tribunus Militum
I have been using a 3G Dongle from Verizon for year now. I can certainly agree that Verizon's software is really bad on a Mac. You would think they could do better. I eventually ended up going back to Windows in order to get better software. If you really want better function get a Laptop with provisions for a built in card. Its much nicer.
1558 posts | registered Dec 8, 2007
smartfud Ars Centurion
The sheer size of this thing makes it pretty ridiculous, as the review states. We put one in the field for testing, and while the speeds are excellent, it's just too big. USB modems are a constant problem anyway, because mobile users bend/break them due to 80% of the device hanging out of the laptop just waiting to get hit. These new LTE cards just add to the misery.
My test user hasn't noted any kind of attenuation after being online for longer periods of time, but like any multi-cell wireless signal it can act flaky at times with ping times all over the map.
I'm waiting for the embedded LTE cards, which look like they're going to arrive late Q2 or early Q3. Better antenna performance than USB modems in my experience, and no monstrous dongle hanging off your laptop or clipped to your screen.
JonTD Ars Legatus Legionis
I'm hoping LTE modems start popping up in all of the laptops (at least as an option) since in theory it should be able to support both AT&T and Verizon. Just install the carrier software, hang it off your data plan, and wireless anytime/anywhere.
I'm hoping we get less restrict caps as well. 10GB should be a minimum. I'd prefer unlimited. :\
14152 posts | registered Apr 15, 2000
Sethist Seniorius Lurkius
Any words on average latency you've experienced?
6 posts | registered Aug 11, 2008
Errum Ars Scholae Palatinae et Subscriptor
Althornin wrote:
Mac is an afterthought, which is crappy for mac users, but it seems ridiculous to spend half a review trashing the software for 5% of the market.
Mac installed base market share in the USA is over double that number, significantly higher in laptops, and vastly more so at the upper end of the market where the users might perhaps be more inclined to pay the freight for a fairly costly to use 4G cellular device.
Since VZ's Mac drivers are new and the Win versions already well established, it doesn't seem illogical to focus on what's new rather than what's not.
whquaint Ars Tribunus Militum
Slightly off topic: It depresses me that wireLESS is so fast, and my TWC WIRED connection is limited to 3.5 Mbps (ignore the marketing lies). TWC has started advertising wireLESS internet in NC. The first response is "huh?" But then they show a picture of the device. It is identical to the Sprint 4G box. So obviously they have contracted with Sprint to rebrand that box with the TWC label. But then that worries me. Is TWC doing that because they have no near-term plans to upgrade the 3.5 Mbps wired cable to something faster? For home use, I wanted fast wires plz.
Kot Matroskin Wise, Aged Ars Veteran
The big question is how is the latency and who would pay this insane amount of money for so little available totals. The only clientelle i can think of are wall street banksters who get money for free via bailouts.
Aurich Creative Director et Subscriptor
Mac market share as a percentage of Ars readers is much higher than 5%.
26084 posts | registered Jun 8, 2001
Xavin Ars Legatus Legionis et Subscriptor
I don't really see the point of these kinds of speeds with a 10GB cap. Plain old 3G is good enough for light browsing, checking your mail, and gaming. Anything that actually benefits from fast speeds will chew up 10GB in a couple of hours. Download two games from Steam and watch a Netflix movie and you are out. If they are going to keep these ridiculously low caps they might as well save the money and just buy new 3G gear to expand capacity instead of upgrading.
27989 posts | registered Aug 6, 1999
Putrid Polecat Ars Tribunus Militum et Subscriptor
Xavin wrote:
"Oooh, that's a bingo!"
pcrepairs Seniorius Lurkius
LTE would be mother of all mobile broadband networks. Since 3g is still at initial stages in India but government plans to roll out 4g within a year, so expect verizon to be available here in near future changing the whole face of broadband revolution....looking forward to it
1 post | registered Dec 18, 2010
jnev Seniorius Lurkius
For $80/month I expect to have unlimited data. 10GB/month is a ripoff. The higher speeds are not worth it IMO for that kind of money.
48 posts | registered Aug 13, 2008
Zuvembi Ars Praefectus
I'm tempted to get one. The only problem is my Cradlepoint router is end-of-lifed and won't ever support the newer LTE modems. I have to decide whether to pick up a newer Cradlepoint like the CTR35, or just suck it up with my current EVDO USB dongle (which is what I'll probably do).
Anachronisms Wise, Aged Ars Veteran
Sethist wrote:
I'm curious about this too. High bandwidth with 800ms latency isn't anything to write home about.
160 posts | registered Mar 5, 2011
RoundTop Seniorius Lurkius
LTE latency is about 30ms-50ms. I've done speed tests to several sites and never seen a latency over 50ms.
And latency and speed are really good when you are pulling presentations from the corporate office that is across the country.
I've seen LTE latency down to 12ms before too.
Yes, you could game on LTE.
1 post | registered Mar 8, 2011
Netguru Ars Scholae Palatinae et Subscriptor
I just don't understand why they (ISP's) keep upping the speed of their networks when they cap the download/upload? Why do you need speed if all you can do is download a text based website? I just don't understand it. When the wireless ISP's really get serious about competition, they will drop the caps and max out their speeds. When that happens, they will see cable broadband subs leaving the Comcast's of the world, just like the cell phone industry took landlines subs away from the ATT's of the world. Bring it on! It can't get here soon enough.
ZPrime Ars Legatus Legionis et Subscriptor
Just an FYI, but Jacqui is Doing It Wrong with the clip, as pictured.
The hinged lid is supposed to go into the clip, with the USB cord facing down, thus pointing the main body of the dongle upwards. This helps get the antenna higher and away from the PC for better reception.
The VZAccess software on Mac just sucks in general in that it will occasionally lock up or not see the device. However, IME removing the dongle and re-attaching has fixed it for me, or force-closing the software.
Unfortunately, even after the drivers are installed by the VZAccess software, it isn't possible to get the card to connect without the software running, unlike many 3G aircards where you can treat them like modems in OS X.
I routinely see speeds over 20mbit in Cleveland, and uploads are usually 5-8Mbit. Latency seems to be around 80-130 for me, so IMHO still not great for gaming. Plus, with the cap you just don't want to try using it as a home connection. 10GB is not a lot.
cr7y3w1k Seniorius Lurkius
As other readers have noted to the download cap is ridiculously low for anyone other then the email & web surfing crowd.
Cloud backup solution: Tens of GBs at the very lest.
Steam: Average of 4 GB per typical game.
Netflix/Hulu/YouTube: God only knows...
Typical Linux Distro: 700mb to 8 GB.
For anyone who use the internet for more then basics this is woefully inadequate for the price.
22 posts | registered Mar 4, 2011
Demani Ars Praefectus et Subscriptor
Netguru wrote:
I just don't understand why they (ISP's) keep upping the speed of their networks when they cap the download/upload? Why do you need speed if all you can do is download a text based website? I just don't understand it. ...
See, when you are stuck on 3G you may not get to your overages until like 2 weeks in. But if you are on LTE you should be able to hit that overage within the first week pretty easily. And boy, if they have a chance at getting you to download a movie or 2, hopefully while abroad, then they really got you good. And the great thing is, since it's so much faster you think the file isn't so big since you are trained to think big file=super long download time. So you might even go 2 or 3 times over...jackpot!!!
The problem with the typical "they are doing it to get you to pay more" is that most of these caps are "hard" in that they throttle you down to some absurdly low speed once you hit the cap, and there's no way to get more. If you could pay a decent price for more bandwidth that would be one thing (still stupid since even wireless bandwidth is dirt cheap), but you can't. There are no plans available for people who actually want to use their 4G connection.
name99 Ars Praefectus
Serious question, guys --- does this thing actually USE two, let alone more than two, antennae?
I would have though that to get any sort of high end performance, antennae diversity is required, and that single glob sticking on top of the macbook's screen looks too small to support two non-coherent antennae.
(And, as far as I know, VZW have a rule that all their phones, at least, have to support antenna diversity).
So, hypothesis:
We get diversity not through separation in space but through having the two antennae at right angles to each other? This seems a natural configuration, but I have never seen specs discussing how well it works.
Obviously what one really wants is four antennae built into the case of the laptop. Presumably we'll start to see first tablets then laptops like that.
Obviously four antennae also works well for wifi n. So another question for experts:
- I would guess that it is possible to have a single antenna (in the sense of a strip of metal) that can be dynamically treated as having different lengths (and so appropriate for 900MHz, 5GHz and cell frequencies) by having a diode or something similar between different pieces of metal that can be set to conducting or not, thus increasing or shrinking the effective length of the antenna. Is this true?
- But each antenna also has to come with its RF core. Can THESE be dynamically reconfigured to support substantially different frequencies, say from 800MHz to 10GHz? And how expensive are these RF cores?
What I'm trying to get at is
- is it a major expense to switch a MacBook from 2 wifi n antennae to 4? AND
- one we have these 4 antennae in there, could they be used to support cell frequencies?
[Personally I think what Apple wants, either from the carriers, or if necessary by setting up its own virtual carrier, is the ability to have a SINGLE cell account and a single cross-device data-cap per month tied to your AppleID, which can work with your iPhone, iPad, and MacBook. Once they can swing that, but not before, we'll start to see these sorts of cell features built into MacBooks.]
Oh, and yes, VZW sux for shipping this, Apple sux for something, AT&T sux for not having 4G, cell-phones will give you cancer, rant rant rant. We can discuss those important issues or we can try to answer the issues I have raised here:
- two antennae near in space, but polarized at right angles, gives good diversity?
- how expensive are antenna+RF core?
- is it feasible to dynamically adjust the length of an antenna and the frequency of its RF core across about 1.3 decades?
Last edited by name99 on Tue Mar 08, 2011 6:19 pm
Is this claim (5% of the market) in fact accurate?
Macs may be 5% of PC sales, but they are a higher fraction of laptop sales, and they are an ever higher fraction as you go to higher end laptops. Meanwhile people buying budget laptops are not people with the excess cash to spend $50 a month on this sort of service.
I'm not saying this as a reflexive Apple supporter --- I just think that the way Althornin is characterizing the "market:" here is seriously flawed, and I'd be interested in hearing more accurate numbers.
ReaderBot Ars Praefectus
Mmmm, 2-5 hours of Internet access per month for only $80? Where do I sign up?
3727 posts | registered Jul 6, 2007
I just don't understand why they (ISP's) keep upping the speed of their networks when they cap the download/upload?
The issue is NOT increased speed. That is simply a nice side benefit.
The issue is MORE EFFICIENT USE OF SPECTRUM.
Let me put the issue in exceptionally dumb terms (which will make any EEs wince).
Consider one Hz of bandwidth. You could imagine, for one cycle of a waveform, either having signal present, or absent, so transferring 1bit/Hz. This is a very simple-minded (but fairly robust) modulation scheme.
But you would like to do far better, to pack more bits/Hz in there.
The way this is done is (simplifying tremendously) by providing one of a number of differently shaped waveforms that all slot into that space occupied by a single cycle of a sine-wave. These waveforms differ in their amplitudes, and in their phase offset. In the most extreme case, 64-QAM, there are 64 of them, allowing one pack pack 6 bits/Hz.
That sounds great, BUT there is a big problem --- noise and interference. There is a vast amount of low-level cleverness you never hear about that goes into trying to deal with these, but the bottom line is the following.
(a) The error correcting codes (part of dealing with noise) eat up some fraction of this bandwidth, so that in the best possible case (64-QAM with a 3/4 turbo convolutional code) the theoretical maximum is 4.5 bits/Hz
(b) To get even close to this theoretical maximum, you need a whole lot of other technology (things like OFDM and antenna diversity) which try to split the available bandwidth among multiple users so that each user gets to use that fraction of the bandwidth that (for the path from the base station to them) is currently least noisy.
(c) Some fraction of the available bandwidth has to be used up in negotiating who gets to do transmit next on which frequencies. In WiFi this issue (media access) is ASTONISHINGLY inefficient --- you lose almost half your available bandwidth to it. I haven't seen the numbers for 4G systems, but I assume they are substantially better. Certainly the people designing 4G systems are well aware of this as a problem.
So, put this all together.
My recollection is that early digital cell-phone systems, when you consider everything --- media access, modulation scheme, error correction overhead etc etc, got about 1/5th of a bit/Hz.
I've never seen the numbers for 3G systems, but I would guess they are at about 1bit/Hz.
One might hope that 4G systems can run at perhaps 3bits/Hz.
So that means, obviously, 3x spectral efficiency. It's nice that that gets delivered in the form of higher speed, but what's actually nicer about it is that it means less likely overloading of the system and much higher error robustness, so that you CAN get a connection even when many other people are using the system, or when you are at the edge of a cell and deep within a building.
The bad news is that this is close to the end of the line. With all the smarts in 4G, it's not clear how to do much better. There is scope for the usual sort of 5% a year improvements we get from ever better algorithms, chips that are powerful enough to do something more like the mathematically perfect decoding operations rather than approximations to perfection, better frequency and power control, etc. But that's not going to double the spectral efficiency of the system.
There is a whole lot of hype about something called spatial multiplexing. This is real, it's not nonsense. And, conveniently, it works best in the most crowded urban environments where it's most needed.
BUT to work well it requires multiple antennae (let's say at least 3 or 4) each separated from the other by a few wavelengths. This means, as a practical matter for cell frequencies, that you'd like the antennae each separated by about a foot. That's a problem! The best you can do with the current paradigm is one antenna at the top, and one at the bottom, of your cell phone, separated by what, half a foot? This gives you some diversity boost ( which gives robustness against noise and helps us towards our 4.5 bits/Hz ideal modulation goal) but there's not enough diversity left here to layer spatial multiplexing on top of it.
The solution is obviously to have separate antennae stuck in different places around your body, and somehow communicating with the base phone. It's not at all clear how any phone company can swing that. Maybe have a third antenna in your BT headset, and try to encourage people to always have that headset on them? Maybe an arm band, or something you can stick in a belt?
Obviously wires are out --- no-one will stand for that --- and if you have to charge one more device (which, unlike a BT headset, does not actually appear to be doing anything for you) that's a whole new hassle.
So, bottom line
- 4G is about maybe tripling spectral efficiency
- beyond that, the future is not clear. The hype about spatial multiplexing, in particular, appears to be completely decoupled from any sort of insight into the physical sizes of phones, and the behavior/habits of normal human beings.
TokamakH3 Ars Centurion
skicow wrote:
You answered your own question. With no caps, people would drop their Verizon hardlines faster than a flaming sack of manure and switch to this. With a tiny cap, you still need your hardline for the big downloads at home. Basically, they want to make damn sure wireless is NOT the future of the internet, that you'll always have to pay for the same thing many times over. Wireless data, wireless voice, wireless texts, wired data, cable TV channels, VOIP; that's a lot of times to pay for the same thing.
269 posts | registered Nov 4, 2009
VedicHymn Wise, Aged Ars Veteran
My work upgraded us all to these from our existing Verizon 3g cards.
When I was back in Chicago I was getting around 10 Mbit or so, but back home in the Seattle area I got 27 Mbit down, 12 Mbit up. I'll be curious to see how this looks as more people get on.
You answered your own question. With no caps, people would drop their Verizon hardlines faster than a flaming sack of manure and switch to this. With a tiny cap, you still need your hardline for the big downloads at home. Basically, they want to make damn sure wireless is NOT the future of the internet, that you'll always have to pay for the same thing many times over.
Except that Verizon land service is not available in most of the US, and they are getting their ass kicked by Cable where they are available. Plus the fact that Verizon Wireless and Verizon proper are for most purposes completely separate companies, so strategies won't necessarily align.